


Introductions

by CopperCaravan



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Codename: Tens, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 21:42:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13257207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CopperCaravan/pseuds/CopperCaravan
Summary: Tens and Kellogg meet.





	Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> it is I, the garbage man in my garbage can

It’s about 2 AM when they finally meet.

The fluorescent lights make Tens wanna claw her own eyes out but every step is one step closer. Every bullet, every felled enemy, every moment—she’s getting closer and closer to finding the Institute. Closer and closer to finding answers.

She still can’t remember everything—the flashes of light, the dark rooms, the faceless bodies—but whatever they did to her, they’re gonna pay for it. And if Kellogg really wants to go down for the Institute, she’s happy to oblige him.

He looks at her—angry, but something else too—over the barrel of his gun, his pause just a second too long. “Who the fuck are you?”

Yeah, he knew that eventually somebody was gonna come after him—scratch that, somebody’s always after him. He knew that eventually somebody was actually gonna _get_ him. Had a decent idea who it might be, too. Wasn’t expecting this though.

“You got two choices, Kellogg: you help me and I’ll make it worth your while, or I shoot out your kneecaps before I ask again.”

He squints at her—her and her robo-bodyguard. “Help you what?” He asks but he’s pretty sure he already knows.

She lowers her gun, not in peace, no, but to aim at his legs. “I know you’re with them and you’re gonna take me there.”

“Take you where, sweetheart? You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

She raises her gun again and fires a shot, too close to his head for comfort. He hears one of the synths behind him crumple to the floor. “Wrong answer.”

“Listen, sweetheart—” Another shot, another synth. He tilts his head in an approximation of deference. “Point taken. But you’re asking for something I couldn’t deliver even if I wanted to. You think it’s as easy as just strolling up to the front door and kicking it in?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t have wasted two weeks looking for you.”

He exhales and squeezes the bridge of his nose, then holsters his gun. Damn thing’s not gonna do him much good at this point. “Level with me here.”

She blinks and shifts her gun to the left, level with his forehead. The robot chuckles. “Level enough for you, pal?”

Jesus. “Why in the hell you wanna find the Institute anyway? Ain’t nothing good waiting for you there—sure as hell not for you either,” he adds, gesturing to her synth.

Tens grits her teeth. Kellogg’s no more irritating than anyone else, honestly, but she could do without the questions. If she had answers for every stupid question she got asked, she wouldn’t be here.

“Does it matter?”

Not really. Old man’s been... erratic lately. Kellogg knows what’s happening. But he hasn’t stayed alive this long with temporary alliances—or at least, that’s not the main reason.

“Fine,” he says. Somewhat genuinely. “You want in, you gotta pull your weight though. The Man Downstairs has me on an errand and I’m not getting anywhere until it’s done, so you help me, I help you, we part ways and we don’t gotta shoot nobody—least not each other, anyway.”

She gives him the once over and if she didn’t have her gun still trained on his face, he’s got a few tactless comments stowed away for just this occasion. “Fine,” she finally says. Too much thought went into that for him to be comfortable with it, but postponing his own execution is something of a worthy cause so he sticks his handout for a shake. She just looks at it and holsters her gun.

The synth speaks up, cutting in front of her and knocking his hand aside. Prick. “You’re not seriously gonna do his dirty work, are you? _Their_ dirty work?”

She shrugs and Kellogg’s starting to think she might not be such bad company after all. “For now,” she says. Yeah, his thoughts exactly.

“I don’t like it.”

Kellogg spits. “Not a big fan of yours either, Blade Runner.”

Tens gives him a look that could cut. “Make friends on your own time. Where are we headed and what are we doing?”

“Just gonna trust what I tell you, huh? Just like that?”

“No,” she says, turning her back to him and heading for the door. “Just gonna fucking kill you if you waste my time.”

So business as usual, then. Sounds good.


End file.
